Sliding-door fastener.



HANS L. RUED, OF BUTTERFIELD, MINNESOTA.

SLIDING-DOOR FASTE NEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Feb. 18, 1908.

Application filed. February 15 190 Serial No. 357.496.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I HANs L. RUED, citizen of the United States, residing at Butterfield, in the county of Watonwan and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sliding-Door Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sliding door fasteners and has special reference to devices adapted to be applied to sliding doors to secure them from movement when placed in a desired position except through the medium of the latch.

The chief objects of my invention are to provide a convenient fastening device for use upon sliding doors that can be operated with equal facility from either side of the door and. that will hold the door in either open or closed position.

As usually designed such attachments are adapted to hold the door when closed but no means are provided for retaining it in an open position. In some cases, especially in sliding doors in delivery or carriers wagons or cars, the motion of the vehicle will frequently render it difficult to retain the door in its open position, if friction alone is depended upon for this purpose as is usually the case.

My device is adapted to overcome this serious disadvantage, and to that end I have designed the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings which forms a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a closed door and a portion of the casing, fitted with my improved fastening device, the section being taken through the attachment, and Fig. 2 is a similar view with the door held in its open position by means of the fastening device.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 3 indicates a door and 4 the sides of a casing the interval between which is closed by the door when in the position shown in Fig. 1. As illustrated the door is adapted to slide parallel with the casing and wall upon a track 5 although any other method of hanging may be employed.

At a convenient height upon the face of the door on the side opposite to the wall is placed horizontally my fastening device which consists of a flat strip of flexible material, preferably spring steel, one end being recurved to form a loop or handle 7, the excured to the door face by a bolt 9 placed. near the fixed end 8. As the bar is fleXible it will be evident that traction made upon the handle will cause that end' to spring away from the door, the bolt 9 and the tenon 8 holding the opposite end firmly so that when the handle is released the bar will return to its initial position in apposition with the door face.

To the inner face of the spring bar 6, adjacent to the handle are riveted latch bolts 10 which pass through holes in the door and project from the opposite surface, those projecting ends being cut at an angle forming inclined. surfaces 11 which are turned in opposite directions.

Upon the door casing on either side of the doorway 'are placed keepers 13 which have openings registering with mortises 12 in the casing. The free margins of the keepers 13 are bent at an angle to form inclined faces with which the beveled surfaces 11 of the said bolts engage when the door is moved laterally, and cause the bolt to be retracted sufficiently to pass over the face of the keeper and engage the mortise 12.

To enable the door to be operated from the opposite side a stem 14 having a knob 15 attached thereto is securely riveted to the handle bar 6 opposite to the loop 7, the said stem passing through a suitable hole formed in the door 3. The knob 15 operates conversely to the handle movement, it being necessary to press it toward the door to release the latch bolts.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the details of my invention as herein disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the precise construction shown.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A sliding door fastener including a spring bar having a plurality of latch bolts fixed thereto, means for operating said bar from opposite sides of the door, and a keeper fixed to each side of the doorway and adapted to engage one of said. latch bolts.

2. A fastening device for sliding doors, in-

tremity lying against the outer face of the l cluding a spring latch bar secured to one face of the door, handles fixed to said latch bar In testimony whereof I afiix my signature and projecting upon opposite sides of the in presence of two Witnesses.

door, one of said handles being formed integral With said bar and a plurality of latch HANS RUED' bolts secured to said bar and adapted to en- Witnesses:

gage keepers fixed upon opposite sides of the G. E. CANFIELD,

doorway. J. KALLER. 

